Boiler



Oct. 12, 1937. R. w. MENK 7 2,095,527

BOILER I Filed Nov. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I i l I l l l I I R0001. PH VV. ME/VK 0d. 12, 1937. w MENK 2,095,527-

BOILER I Filed Nov. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Rz/aouw I/V. ME/vK Patented Oct- 1 1. 7

Rudolph w. Menk, Joliet, 111.

Application November 16, 1935, Serial No. 50,190

5 Claims.

My present invention relates to heating appliances, especially a boiler for heating houses, apartments, and the like with either steam or hot-water.

In my co-pending applications for Letters Patent I have disclosed warm-air furnaces wherein sheet-metal plates are employed throughout the structures, said plates being welded together to provide unitary members that are quickly fabricated in manufacture and readily assembled in making an installation. In designing my present boiler furnace I have similarly made use of sheet-metal plates and have made the principal parts of the structure in unitary forms. These different parts are of novel design and arrangement, and they provide a finished product of increased efiiciency over boiler furnaces at present available. Furthermore, I am able to materially reduce the weight of the structure, and by the special arrangement of the parts which I have provided there is an increased heating area. and a longer travel of the products of combustion than in other boiler furnaces so that the water israised to the required temperature in a comparatively short period of time.

Certain objects .of my invention reside in providing a boiler that is of novel construction; is economical to manufacture and therefore may be sold at a reasonable retail price to the user; is

dependable in performing the functions for which it is designed; is made of sturdy parts to withstand hard usage; and is capable of being readily assembled or erected in a house or other suitable location.

Obviously, other objects and advantages of my improved structure will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after the construction 7 and operation thereof is understood from the Within disclosure.

The foregoing and other objects I prefer to accomplish in. substantially the manner herein fully described and as particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended. The accompanying drawings, to which reference is herein made, form a part of this description, and in said drawings like reference characters identify the same parts where they appear in the different views.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical front elevation of my novel boiler furnace.

Figure 2 is a vertical side elevation thereof. Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The drawings are more or less schematic and no limitations are to be understood therefrom. However, said drawings'disclose a typical or preferred embodiment of my invention such as will enable others to understand the construction and operation thereof by reference to the follow ing: description.

The boiler is shown surrounded by anexterior housing Ill, of relatively light'gauge of sheet-metal, that'is either rectangular in shape as shown, or may be cylindrical or other shape as desired, or this housing may be omitted without affecting the construction and operation of the boiler. In the event housing in is used the front wall thereof is provided with a rectangular panel H in which there is an upper fuel feed opening and door l2 and a lower ash-pit opening and door Hi.

It will be understood the structure herein dis-.- closed is adapted for use either for steam or hotwater heating systems, but for the purpose of convenience and to avoid confusion of terms it is designatedas a boiler and is shown and described in connection with a hot-water heating plant for residential use.

The body of the boiler comprises a cylindrical outer wall l4 positioned upright and having a dome-shaped closure I5 for its upper end. This wall and closure, as well as'most of the other walls andparts of the structure, are fabricated from sheet-metal plates of a much heavier gauge than that of which the housing is'made, and said parts are united by welding to provide tight, leak-proof joints.

The front segment of cylindrical Wall i4 is provided with upper and lower openings that aline horizontally with the respective feed opening and door 12 and ash-pit opening and door l3. Horizontal and vertical walls connect the corresponding adjacent edges of the feed openings to provide a fuel feed chute l5, and similar walls connect the edges of the ash-pit openings to pro: vide a walled passageway I6 for ready access into the .ash pit. Suitable rocker-type grates I! are disposed horizontally across the interior of the body at about the plane of the top of the.

disposed within and spaced concentrically from the outer cylindrical wall [4 and has an outwardly extended annular flange 2| at its lower end that is welded to the adjacent surface of said outer wall to seal the lower end of the space between said walls and provide an annular chamber or water-leg 22 that encompasses at least the major portion of the combustion chamber l9. Return Water is fed into this water-leg from a return pipe 23 that communicates with the lower portion thereof through the body wall M. The top of this inner wall 26 terminates at about the horizontal plane of the top of the fuel feed chute and is provided with an opening alining with the feed chute to which the edges of said opening are welded.

There is a sheet-metal crown-sheet 24 of dome-shape welded to the top edge of the inner wall 36 to arch over the combustion chamber in the manner shown, and said crown-sheet has an elongated opening that extends from near the front towards the rear and is of a shape to receive a short sheet-metal collar 25- extending vertically above and slightly below the crown-sheet and welded to the edges of the opening. This arrangement provides a horizontally elongated passageway of restricted dimensions for discharge of the hot gases from the combustion chamber into a second or supplementary combustion chamber in the upper portion of the furnace body which has its axis horizontal and intersecting the axis of the main combustion chamber l9. As will be seen, a portion of the water in the structure is above the crown-sheet where its temperature is rapidly raised due to the fact that this body of water surrounds the supplementary combustion chamber and a portion of it contacts the crownsheet and collar.

Above the crown-sheet there is a large water chamber 26 within the top of the body, which is bounded by the dome l5 and the upper portion of the outer cylindrical wall I4, and into this chamber I insert the supplementary combustion chamber and a novel super-heater in the form of a horizontally disposed elongated structure having circuituous passageways or chambers through which the hot gases and the water pass in intimate relation with each other.

The upper portion of the body wall M is provided with relatively large circular openings immediately below the top edge of said wall, said openings being horizontally alined with each other, one opening being in the front of the wall above the fuel chute door I2 and the other opening being in the opposite rearmost segment of the wall It. A horizontally disposed sheet-metal cylinder 27 is fitted into these openings, as shown in Figure 3, with its ends protruding beyond the wall 54 and provided with front and rear ringflanges or annular plates 28 and 29 that extend transversely across the ends of the cylinder 21 and are welded thereto to seal the parts. The opening in the front annular plate 28 is closed by a removable head 89 that tightly seals the same against leakage. This cylinder 27 provides a supplementary combustion chamber above and communicating with the main combustion chamber l9 through the collar 25.

The lower segment of the supplementary combustion chamber or horizontal cylinder 2? has an elongated opening of suitable shape and size to receive the upper end of collar 25 so that said drum is fitted over the upper end of collar and may, if desired, be Welded thereto. This arrangement establishes communication between the combustion chamber l9 and the interior of the drum 2?, permitting the hot gases, passing out of the combustion chamber through collar 25, to be discharged into the horizontal cylinder 2?,

Since the supplementary combustion chamber is within the upper water chamber 25 and extends transversely through the same, the water in this water chamber is closely adjacent the hot gases circulated in the cylinder 2i so that the latter acts in the manner of a super-heater upon the body of water.

Within the supplementary combustion chamber 2'! a super-heater member is positioned, which member is of drum--like appearance. This super heater consists of two laterally spaced concentric sheet-metal cylinders ti and 32 the latter being of smaller diameter than the former and disposed inside and spaced from the same. The cylinder ill in turn is smaller in diameter than the supplementary combustion chamber cylinder 2'! but is of such dimensions that it may readily be inserted into the same through the central opening in the rear annular end plate 29. The forward or front ends of the two cylinders 3| and terminate immediately back of and are spaced a suitable distance to the rear of the head 38 and the adjacent front end of cylinder 21, thus providing a vertical front end passageway 3-:- for the hot gases.

A removable cap 33 closes the front end of the innermost cylinder 32, while flat annular plates 35 and 35 of ring-like form provide end walls that close the respective front and rear ends of the space between the cylinders 32 and 32, and, as will be seen in Figure 3, the rear end portions of cylinders SI and 32 protrude beyond the end wall 29 of the upper horizontal combustion chamber 27.

Elongated openings extending longitudinally in the upper segments of the super-heater cylinders provide communication between the exterior of the cylinder 3! and the interior of the cylinder 32, and the edges of said openings are welded to a sheet-metal collar 31!, thus providing a passageway that discharges the gases from the horizontal combustion chamber 2'! down into the inner cylinder 32. proximately the same as the area of the previously mentioned passageway that is provided by the means of the collar 25 leading upwardly through the crown-sheet into the horizontal combustion chamber 27, and these passageways are prefertric relation and spaced from each other, and this arrangement, as well as the construction of the walls and the collars 25 and 31, provide means for compelling the hot gases, after leaving the combustion chamber ii), to traverse a circuituous path which leads them up into the supplementary combustion chamber 2? where such gases circulate outside cylinder 3i of the super-heater, after which the said gases pass down through collar 37 into the inner cylinder 32 of the super-heater and are discharged at the rear protruding end of said cylinder 32 into the smoke pipe (not shown) leading to the chimney.

The water in the annular water-leg or chamber 2! surrounding the combustion chamber I9 will rise, upon being heated, and pass over the crown-sheet 24 into the vertically disposed cylindrical water chamber 26 in which the supplementary combustion chamber is submerged, and the water passing around the outer cylinder 27 takes up added heat units and is then discharged The area of this passageway is api 40 leading to and discharging into the main disinto the distributor pipe 38 for delivery to the radiators or other heating units in the rooms. However, in order to assist in'super-heating the water a certain percentage of the Water is by- Which hasbeen conveyed outside the furnace in transferring it to the super-heater, will circulate in the horizontally elongated superheating chamber between the sheet-metal cylinders 3i and 32 where it comes directly under the influence of the hot gases that-are circulating in the supplementary combustion chamber and also passing out to the chimney through the inside of. the cylinder 32, and upon being thus further heated the water'passes upwardly out of this chamber through another by-pass or shunt pipe tributor pipe 38 immediately above the furnace body. a

By means of the structure disclosed herein, a main vertical water chamber is provided, which chamber is annular in shape below the crownsheet to provide the water-leg surrounding the combustion chamber and is cylindrical in shape between the crown-sheet and the dome, and both of these portions are upright on a vertical axis. In the portion of the water-chamber above the crown-sheet there is an auxiliary water chamber which is preferably annular in shape, and it is positioned horizontal with its axis transverse or intersecting the axis of the main water-chamber and the combustion chamber. A portion of the water is conveyed outside the furnace struc ture in being transferred from the one chamber (water-leg) to the other (auxiliary). The superheater structure, containing the auxiliary waterchamber,' is of unitary form and may be removed bodily from the rear of the cylinder 21, and, being immediately above the combustion chamber, it receives the hottest gases immediately they have started their circuituous path within the furnace to reach the smoke pipe. Thus, all of the water (except that portion which is passing through shunt pipe 30), is in intimate relation with the hot gases at all times. The horizontal cylinders 29, 3! and 32 provide inner and outer horizontal ilues for the burning and burned products of cornbustion, and they are disposed inside the body of Water in the upper water chamber 26 and also the two inner cylinders enclose the annular horizontal water chamber which receives its supply of water from the Water-leg through the shuntpipe 39.

As is customary in a structure of this character, the furnace is provided with. a safety valve,

It will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art that I have provided a boiler furnace in which there is an absence of the water-tubes or flues usually found in structures of this character i and in lieu thereof a heating surface of large area is provided so that the water comes into intimate relation with the ignited and hot products of combustion at all times. In dispensing with these water-tubes or flues the cost of manufacture of the present structure is materially reduced, while it has been found that this furnace possesses the inherent ability to heat the water considerably more speedily than in furnaces provided with water-tubes. Furthermore, the structure is somewhat reduced in size and is lighter in weight/which permits more ready handling and installation.

What I claim is: a

1. A boiler.furnacecomprising a substantially cylindrical furnace body embodying. a combustion chamber, an annular water-leg surrounding said chamber, a cylindrical water dome above 'said chamber and forming a continuation of said water-leg, an annular super-heater water com partment within said water dome and having one end protruding outside the furnace, a heating conduit within said super-heater water compartment communicating with the combustion chamber in said furnace body, and a pipe outside the furnace for conveying water to the protruding portion of said super-heater compartment from the body of water in said water leg and cylindrical water dome.

2. A boiler furnace comprising a cylindrical body providing a combustion chamber, a ,shell surrounding said body and extended above the same to provide a water-dome over said combustion chamber, the lower portion of said shell being spacedradially from said cylindrical body and providing a water-leg surrounding the combustion chamber, an annular super-heater water compartment in said water-dome, a heating conduit extending through super-heater compartment and surrounded thereby, an annular flue surrounding said super-heater water compartment and separating the latter from the water in said water-dome, means for conveying water from the interior of said shell to said super-heater compartment, means establishing communication between the combustion chamber and said annular flue, and means establishing communication between said annular flue and said heating conduit... 7

3. A boiler furnace comprising a furnace body embodying a combustion chamber, an annular water-leg surrounding said chamber and extending above the latter to provide a water-dome, a cylindrical ,superheater I water-chamber within said dome and disposed with its axis horizontal and intersecting the axis of said Water-dome, said water-chamber having an annular shape in cross-section and having an end portion protruding outside said dome, a flue passage-way leading from the combustion chamber around and into said superheater water-chamber and discharging through the protruding end of the latter, and means for conveying water to the protruding portion of said superheater water-chamber from the body of water in said water-leg and water-dome.

4. A boiler furnace comprising a furnace body embodying a combustion chamber, an annular water-leg surrounding said chamber and extending above the latter to provide a water-dome, a cylindrical superheater water-chamber within said dome and disposed with its axis horizontal and intersecting the axis of said water-dome, said water-chamber having an annular shape in cross-section and. having an end portion protruding outside said dome, a flue passage-way leading from the combustion chamber around and into said superheater water-chamber and discharging through the protruding end of the latter, and a pipe outside the furnace structure leading from said water-leg to and discharging into the protruding end portion of said superheater waterchamber.

5. A boiler furnace comprising a furnace body embodying a combustion-chamber, an annular Water-leg surrounding said chamber and extending above the latter to provide a water-dome, a distributor-pipe leading from said water-dome, a cylindrical superheater water-chamber Within said dome and disposed with its axis horizontal and intersecting the axis of said water-dome, said water-chamber having an annular shape in crosssection and having an end portion protruding outside said dome, a flue passage-Way leading from the combustion-chamber into said dome around, and into said superheater water-chamber and discharging through the protruding end of the latter, a pipe outside the furnace structure leading from said Water-leg to and discharging into the protruding portion of said superheater water-chamber, and a pipe leading from the protruding portion of said superheater Waterchamber to and discharging into said distributor pipe.

RUDOLPH W. MENK. 

